Universe, Space & Beyond

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The purpose of this hive is to share and discuss new and exciting science news about the Universe, Space & Beyond. What's "Beyond"? Good question. "Beyond" is what theoretically might be found outside the known quantifiable Universe mapped about by scientists and NASA -- including theories about Parallel Universes, Time Travel, Worm Holes, the Multiverse and what existed prior to the Big Bang, for example.

Thank you for joining this hive and encouraging other space enthusiasts, scientists, amateur astronomers and other bees to do the same. Let's share our collective knowledge, theories and views about all things space-related. Time for liftoff!

Eye-catching blue regions, the signature of young stars, are visible in this Hubble Space Telescope image. Located some 60 million light-years away, this cluster is undergoing a transformation. Find out more: http://go.nasa.gov/2hbYqZA

SpaceX, it seems, won't get back to launching rockets until January 2017 at the earliest. The announcement, made via the company's website on Wednesday, comes less than a week after SpaceX's CEO Glenn Shotwell said Falcon 9 rockets would resume launching before the end of the year.

Launching today: The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch its HTV cargo vehicle to the International Space Station at 8:26 a.m. EST. This spacecraft will carry more than 4.5 tons of supplies to the crew onboard. Watch live coverage starting at 8 a.m. http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

The ocean appears bright silver in this image of Indonesia due to an optical effect known as sunglint, caused by the mirror-like reflection of sunlight off the water's surface as seen by the satellite sensor. Although sunglint washes out many features, it also reveals details about the water surface that are usually hidden from view. Details: http://go.nasa.gov/2gmjCxK

This eye-catching image of the Sahara Desert was taken by middle school students, using the Sally Ride EarthKAM aboard the International Space Station. Called KidSat, he project was initiated by Dr. Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space, in 1995. Details: http://go.nasa.gov/2gZKNMY

Hyperion, one of Saturn's small moons, tumbles as it orbits the planet in a orientation that is so chaotic that it is essentially impossible to predict how the moon will be spinning in the future. Details: http://go.nasa.gov/2g2NOzm

Ring plunge! NASA Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft has made its first close dive past the outer edges of Saturn's rings. Cassini made a complete scan across the rings with its radio science experiment to study their structure in great detail. Details: http://go.nasa.gov/2g1Aprl

When astronauts make their first flight aboard our newest rocket in the 2020s, their mission will be simple: Confirm that all systems aboard the Orion crew capsule operate as designed in the actual environment of deep space. This flight will take us past the moon, the farthest into the solar system than humanity has ever traveled before, a significant step forward on our Journey to Mars. Learn more:

What happened this week at NASA? 'Human computers,' the African American women who made the complex mathematical calculations that led to human spaceflight, were honored, NASA Cassini spacecraft began ring-grazing and more. Watch -

Wernher von Braun, David Foster Wallace, and Rocket Fuel On November 1, 1932, Wernher von Braun signed a contract with the Reichswehr to conduct research leading to the development of rockets as military weapons. In this capacity, he would work for Captain Walter Dornberger. His association with...

#33 Some argue that easy access to a public library is an anachronism in today’s age of Smart Phones and the internet, but since libraries now have proper computers perhaps nothing could be further from the truth. It could be said that Library Closures are an attack on the educational aspirations of those less fortunate enough to be on a subsistence income either through unemployment or disability.

The burning question mus be is SpaceX a Wall Street Banking Cartel ICBM to launch Chemical, Biological or even a Dirty Bomb on any nation who's population use Democracy to Reject the current model of Global Capitalism ?

I remember one famous British Nursery Rhyme includes the line " In the middle of a wood a Piggywigg stood with a ring in the end of its nose ", which would appear to personify the ideal lifestyle for the majority of UK under 30s. The rot set in when the BBC put John Craven ( Now anchor of Countryfile ) in BBC Children's Newsround ! The Muppet Show probably precipitated tie US Milenials !

#29 Perhaps like Crooked Hitlary Clinton, perhaps Dick Turpin PhD & Co's apparent selective amnesia underlines their Criminal Intent to deceive the General Public for personal financial gain and or sexual favours perpetually immune from the Long Arm of the Law ?

Andrew Sachs made his name as an actor in an era when BBC Comedy was educational as well as absolutely hilarious at times, even the children's stuff, like Do Not Adjust Your Set with Micheal Palin, Terry Jones and David Jason, and despite the shoestring budget still funnier than BBC Comedy today !

#29 @David B. Grinberg I don't think that he paid much attention to his status within the Nazi party --I think he was mostly into the potential of rocket propulsion, the engineering of being able to control pitch, yaw, roll, and understand and control the relationship between thrust and acceleration, etc. in "Isaac Newton Land" because (not requiring atmospheric oxygen) rocket propulsion could theoretically result in controlled flight beyond our planet...In fact I believe that towards the of the war --high ranking Nazi officials had plans o kill him and his team rather than allow any of that stuff to fall into allied hands --they were thinking strictly in terms of unique weapons which the allies didn't posess. Sort of a German equivalent of Robert Oppenheimer...I've experienced the state of being so obsessed with getting a methodology or procedure to work...that I've been oblivious to the motivations of the people funding the endeavor; I think we've all experienced times where our Sunday priorities...seem different on Monday

Thank you, Gerald, for another illuminating, informational and educational read. Yes, without Wernher von Braun's influence and intelligence sharing with NASA, who knows where our space program would have ended up back then. I would venture to guess the Soviets would have tried to recruit him and then beaten the USA in space science, innovation and technology -- which, as you astutely note, ultimately resulted in the Apollo program and landing the first men on the moon.Despite his ignominious background working for the Nazis during WWII, the USA appeared to have few reservations in quickly recruiting him to jump start and advance the American space program. This reminds me of the famous Machiavellian quote, "The end justifies the means." -- regardless of whether embracing him with open arms was morally right or wrong. What do YOU think?

#23 @Phil Friedman I was about 8 or 9 when I joined a local 4-H club called the "Rocketeers" --Estes scale models with solid fuel canisters and glow plugs...they all had parachutes or streamers for recovery and the "safety is no accident" mantra was drilled into us and became second nature...first nature.

Yet, you are correct --we all eventually froze into giant redwood sociopaths; frozen monsters of the forest --waiting for the perfect lodge (rented by lovers--for a romantic weekend) to fall upon...we were so young at the time--we couldn't have known; but deep down in our knotted redwood hearts...we know what we are...and we know that soon the day will come when there will be no forest, no lovers, no life;

"Who cares ver der rockets kommen down, " said Werner von Braun -- our pet star Nazi. The history of rocketry is all along the story of the betrayal of humanity by amoral scientists who might very well have been sociopaths.

#20 @Paul Kemner It (the actual event narrative) really sounds like some type of surreal, fractured, "post modern" fiction itself...I've been noticing more and more such phenomena --it seems. I like @CityVP Manjit description of "time travel phenomena".

Who would have thought the destructive power of V2's has a linkage to the destructive power of depression. An interesting thing about the Internet is the time capsule quality of it, we can literally time travel to blogs that wrote about happenings in the moment they were happening, like the death of David Foster Wallace.

One such blog is written by (ironically) the Jewish Atheist and I think it does a fine job of extracting Wallace's inner condition

It is awful that a human being can be that brilliant but still be beaten down by the destructive inner chemical processes. It is interesting that no matter how great pharmacological and medical professionals get with chemistry, no one yet fully understands the depth of depression and its multi-faceted causes.

#14 @Pascal Derrian yes...and the price that was paid...did it even buy progress; or merely a proof-of-concept in the "warhead delivery business"; merchants of death buying a future of even greater horrors...on credit? We now see that the bill has come due...and who is our dealmaker in chief? "Vanity of Vanities"...all truly is...it really was all for nothing --for nothing was ever new to begin with; and its not as if we weren't told...and so our SM Platforms descend into the "Tower of Babel 2.0" --our hospitals are seen for what they really are: "shrines to the diseases and pestilence we have created"...and the zoos and protected habitats: "prisons we have built for the life form species we haven't already extinguished"...and then...finally just as Noah was told; when shown the rainbow sign..."no more water; it will be fire next time"...

Interesting, thanks @David B. Grinberg. I just read an article last night about Parallel universes and going back in time. It was interesting but it appears if someone is on to something there, they still have a lot of research to do. I enjoy reading articles about the universe from different perspectives.

Pluto is hiding a very big secret some 3 billion miles away from Earth: a vast ocean of liquid water. Two questions on many researchers' minds, however, are what's in the water — and could it support alien life?

However, mix of water, oxygen and life belongs for our traditional outlook - since we not yet explored any other possible conditions. I have not seen this - does not mean – it does not exist. Who knows what can hide mix of nitrogen and methane, as on Titan or mix of hydrogen and helium, as on Saturn and Jupiter - somewhere far away. Few hundred years ago, people believed what Earth are flat and supported by four elephants and shining stars just holes in the sky. America was discovered, when brave sailors tried to find short path to India, but explored much later. I do believe - we're just started, we’re very young race and we should expect many surprising things during our discoveries. Paradox is that Solar system not yet finally explored, but we can see other very far galaxies and make some meaningful discoveries for exoplanets and stars.

Thanks for sharing, George. Space scientists always say that where there's water, there's potential for life -- even if only at the microbial level (including ice). Thus, one never knows how far future technology might be able to transform or terraform some of these planets and moons with ice/water.

Pluto’s icy heart. How did it form? Is there a subsurface ocean? New research on the frozen heart-shaped feature, first spotted by our New Horizons spacecraft in 2015, probes the mystery. Details: http://go.nasa.gov/2gZJKjw

#1 I think that NASA have to cooperate with RosCosmos, SpaceX, European Space Agency and China National Space Administration - in order to build something really "heavy", reliable and fast. Joint efforts can be much more effective and fast, despite the political issues. I still remember the "Space Race" between USA and USSR – many discoveries, many tragedies, tons of politics, billions spent – cooperation is much useful. People will not able to enter deep space without change of mind. When we see the stars, we should think - we're Human race, our home is planet Earth and Solar system, instead of we're citizens of country X, our home is city Y.

Very interesting. However, Pluto is so far away -- on the outskirts of our inner solar system -- that NASA must build new and much faster propulsion rockets for any astronauts or robotic probes to get their and communicate back and forth with Earth in a reasonable time period.